Heart Crushing
by atlageek
Summary: How does Booth's realationship with Hannah really affect Brennan, and will Booth realize how bad it does before it's too late and she's gone forever? B&B forever!
1. Prolog

**AN: Hey guys! I know I haven't written anything in a while so here's my new story! I hope you like it as much as the last one. This story was fabricated from a dream I had one night after watching an episode with Hannah in it. The one where she moves in with Booth (I think we all really hate that one) and we really get see how much its hurting Brennan. So I started writing this story, I wanted to show how Booth's new relationship is really affecting her but also how much she has changed. I'm also going to put some emphasis on how subconsciously Brennan has somewhat become dependent on Booth and how the lack of his presence and affection will affect her to the extreme. So here's the prolog, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**Disclaimer: All dialog in prolog and some in later chapters are quoted from certain episodes and are not of my own creation. And will be in Italics. **

"_So did you meet anyone special?" Booth asked, still Laughing at the news that Bones had beaten up armed Gorillas. _

"_You mean did I have sex with anyone?" Brennan smiled, knowing he'd comment on her forwardness and hoping that it would mean everything would be the same between them. Everything._

_Booth grinned, "I missed that about you, you know, you just cut right to the chase."_

"_I was working, so there was no time or inclination for sex or romance. How about you?" She asked attentively, dreading that gleam in his eyes and the way he had purposely brought up the subject. 'Please no, please let me not be too late!' She took a deep breath and looked up into his eyes, waiting for that life changing answer._

_A smile spread across Booth's face, "Yeah. Here. I'll show you." He pulled out his phone and brought up a picture of a gorgeous blonde standing against a building. _

'_No.' She had been too late. He'd moved on like he'd said he would and now he looked happier than she'd ever seen him._

_Booth was oblivious to her pain, to the world crumbling around her and her barriers and shields he'd worked so hard and so long to tear down starting to form around her again, masking the anguish and despair burning inside of her like a thousand suns. He had no idea what he'd just done to her._

_Her ears barely heard what he was saying to her, her mind almost numb to who this blonde was._

"_Hannah, she's a journalist, war correspondent."_

"_How, h-how did you meet?" Brennan stammered, barely getting the words from her lips, her mind screaming at her to flee and get away from all this pain. But some part of her deep down told her that if she really loved him the way she'd come to realize, that she needed to stay and be happy for him. Stay as his friend and friend only, and just grow to not love him and move on as well. She turned her attention back to hi, the pain fading down to a deep, muted pain, still present but easier to ignore._

"_Oh, I arrested her for being in a restricted area." Booth grinned._

"_You arrested me ounce." Brennan plastered a smile as genuine as she could manage on her face, hoping he wouldn't be able to read her like he normally could._

"_I remember." He said fondly, not seeing the lie behind that smile, believing she was really happy for him, determined to keep things the way they were before he fell for her when they were both living in oblivion._

"_Where is Hannah now?" Bones asked, hoping he wouldn't say back at his apartment waiting for him when he left her._

"_She's in Iraq." Brennan could see the longing in his eyes, like he couldn't stand to be apart from her. She could taste bile in her mouth at the sight._

"_Is it serious between you?" she asked, already knowing the answer._

"_Serious as a heart attack."_

"_Heart attacks are very serious." She stated, trying to lighten the pain by stating a fact._

"_Yes they are, very serious."_

'_I need to end this conversation; I can't bare it anymore."_

"_So I find that I am looking forward to seeing everyone!" Brennan jumped up, grabbing her bag._

"_Right." Booth blinked. He stood up and grabbed his bag, following her to the Hoover building to save Cam's job._


	2. Chapter 1

**AN: Here's Chapter One! I'm excited to see what you guys think of it. Brennan's going to start to become distant and depressed and you will see the beginning of that in this chapter but not much. I want her to be a little bit happy at first before things go bad. And who better to make her happy but Angela? :) Please Review!**

The key turned in the lock of the front door of the dark apartment. It was near one in the morning and Dr. Temperance Brennan was just returning home from moving back into her office and finishing the paper work for the Logan Barnum case. She walked through her apartment, noticing how empty and unwelcoming it was.

Booth's apartment was warm and welcoming, with pictures of family and friends, nick-knacks and souvenirs, treasured belongings and worn furniture from use. Hers was clean, pristine, and new looking.

Artifacts from digs and trips were displayed like a museum. No signs of company, friends, family or even a social life. It was if someone had taken the aspects of her early years as an anthropologist and decorated her apartment with them. She couldn't even call her apart her home, because even to her it didn't feel like one.

_But no more. _She thought_. I've changed over the past seven years, especially in the past seven months. My apartment should reflect that. It should be a home, where friends and family will want to visit and strangers can see that I really do have people and things I care about and not think of me as such a cold fish. _She dragged herself into her bedroom, the need for sleep started to claim her. It had been a long past few days; working to cases, getting everyone back together, saving Cam's job and insuring that the old team could begin again.

She threw her bags to the ground, kicked off her shoes and shrugged out of her pants and jacket. She pulled back her sheets and slipped into bed, glad to be in her own luxurious bed again after spending the last seven months sleeping in a cot in Maluku.

The last thing she thought was how happy Angela was going to be when she asked her to help her redecorate her apartment tomorrow morning. It was time to have a girl's weekend; it had been too long since she'd hanged out with her best friend.

The sun shone through the blinds, illuminating the bedroom. The sound of cars bustling by seeped through the window from the streets below; announcing the awakening of the city. It crawled over the window sill and into the room. The sleeping form entangled in sheets and blankets that were Temperance Brennan shifted in slumber. As the noise of the outside world increased as the minutes ticked by she began to stir, slowly emerging to the surface from the depths of her dreams.

Brennan tuned on to her back and stretched as the last grips of sleep released her in the form of a long yawn. Her eyes flickered open and scoured the room around her, taking a moment to grasp her bearings. It had been some time since she was home and Brennan was still getting used to waking up in her own bed again. She rolled over onto her right side to check the alarm clock on her nightstand. 7:00 a.m. it read. She sat up, threw the covers off the bed and swung her legs over the side of the bed to rest her feet on the smooth, cold wooden floor. She rotated her head, stretching her neck, wincing at the popping sounds that emitted from her neck. _That's what I get for falling asleep at my desk and examination table after working late into the night and early morning over and over again. _

She sighed and got to her feet, padding down the hallway to the kitchen. She grabbed the coffee and filters from the cupboards and started the coffee machine. Just the smell of it brewing heighted her senses and woke her up a little bit more as she returned to her bedroom to lay out an outfit for the day. _Hmm… I need something comfortable to work in and that I'm willing to get dirty or ruin. _She walked over to her dresser and opened the bottom drawer, grabbing a pair of designer jeans that looked the least new and threw them on the bed railing. She crossed the room to the closet and pulled out a solid colored navy blue tank top and threw it next to the jeans. She grabbed a pair of tennis shoes from her hanging shoe holder and closed the French closet doors.

Brennan walked over to the left side of the king sized bed and started straightening out the sheets and smoothing down the comforter. She fluffed the pillows and centered them against the headboard. When the bed was made she went back into the kitchen and reached for a mug by the fridge. She paused mid reach when a memory of another hand reaching for a glass flashed in her mind. Even after all these years it was still hard to forget that Booth had been blown up right here in her kitchen.

The thought of Booth brought up a thought of another certain someone and the pain started to take hold of her again. She shook her head, as if to shake the pain and thought out of her body. _No. This is going to be a fun and enjoyable weekend with Angela and will not be ruined by Hannah. _Brennan straitened her back and pushed her shoulders back, grabbed the coffee cup and walked purposely to the coffee pot and poured a generous amount of piping hot coffee into her mug. She took a sip and relished in the rush of caffeine.

She set the steaming cup on the island counter top and padded to the bathroom across the hall from her room. She flicked on the lights and placed the bath mat on the floor. She pulled back the curtain and turned on the shower. As she waited for the water to heat up she went back out into her room and unplugged her cell phone from the wall. She typed in the number she knew by heart and dialed, holding the phone up to her ear she waited for her best friend to pick up.

"_Ugh, do you know what time it is sweetie?_" Angela's tired voice greeted her when she picked answered.

"Yes, it's seven-thirty in the morning. I don't understand why you need to ask me what time it is, don't you have a clock at your house?" Brennan asked confused.

"_Bren._"

"Oh, I see. You were being sarcastic and were asking a rhetorical question. Sorry." She really hated misunderstanding when people weren't being literal. She'd thought she'd gotten a lot better at not taking people so literally but she guessed she still had a ways to go.

"_Don't apologize sweetie, it's alright. It's the tiredness talking. So what is it you needed to tell me at seven-thirty in the morning on a Saturday?_"

"I have decided to redecorate parts of my home to better reflect the improvements and changes to my personality, social skills and the people who are now in my life. And I'm asking if you'd like to help me do it all this weekend. Think of it as a girl's weekend. Are you interested?"

Angela laughed at her friend's formality. "_I'd love to sweetie. It's about time we redid your home décor. Liven it up a bit you know? Show that a warm, loving social, person like you actually lives there._"

"Yes, that was my intention."

Angela laughed again. "_When do you want me to come over?_"

"Well I'm about to take a shower and get dressed. I still haven't had breakfast so how about I meet you at the diner in forty? Then we can go shopping after we eat."

"_That sounds great. I'm going to need coffee. See you then!_"

"See you then." Brennan smiled as she hung up. She was really happy Angela had agreed, hanging out with her best friend and redecorating her apartment would be a good distraction.

She walked back into her bathroom and closed the door behind her. Ready for a nice warm shower and the feeling of being fresh and clean.

**AN: I originally planned to have the redecorating all in one chapter but have now decided to stretch it out over two or three so I can put in more details and just write more. I plan this story to be a lot longer than the last so scenes or days will stretch over multiple chapters. I hope you share the enthusiasm that I have for this plan that I have. Please Review, Review, and Review!**

**~ Atlageek **


	3. Chapter 2

**AN: Sorry for the wait. For this story I need some of the original dialog from the shows and certain events so that my story stays in chronological order and makes sense. Getting that information and detail isn't always as easy as just writing down the words as I hear them on my DVR. I don't have all the episodes so I have to go on the internet sometimes to get it. I hope the work and the wait is worth it. So bear with me, enjoy, and review!**

Exactly forty minutes later Angela entered The Royal Diner. Her warm brown eyes scanned the room and quickly landed on her best friend. Brennan was sitting down at her and Booth's usual table next to the window, her back to her as she sat in her seat. Angela quickly crossed the room; her heels clicking and clacking on the polished red floor, and came into Brennan's view.

Brennan's eyes lighted up when she saw her best friend approach, a genuinely happy smile stretched across her face from ear to ear. "Ange!"

Angela chuckled, "Hi sweetie,"

"What do you want to eat? I myself am getting Belgium waffles with fresh berries on top. They have French toast but I doubt there as good as ones you'd get if you and Hodgins were still in Paris but they might be okay, you could always have the crapes…"

"I'm sure the French toast is fine Bren." Angela cut in, trying to stop the flow of words that were pouring from her friend's mouth.

"Oh, well there's really good coffee and tea here, Booth says they make their OJ by hand here, but I don't know what that means…"

"_Sweetie, can you please ask me how I am, please?" _ Angela cut in again with a little more force.

"_Well, I already know how you are. You love living in Paris and you don't miss murders and violence."_

"_What I did miss is… my period." _She studied her friends face to see if the fact had registered in her mind.

Brennan's eyes widen and she quickly leaned forward and engulfed her friend in a tight hug.

Angela laughed and hugged her friend as equally tightly back. "_I hope you're hugging me because you're excited about being an aunt."_

"_No, I'd have to be your sister to do that. Oh! Which I am - metaphorically." _Brennan smiled in happiness both for Angela's pregnancy at that she'd caught on about being an aunt before anyone had to correct and clarify it for her.

"_Yes, you better be, because I haven't even told Hodgins yet."_

"_Well, anthropologically speaking, women often confide in other women before broaching sensitive subjects with their mates."_

Angela sighed, just when she'd thought Brennan had finally caught on about the whole literal and non-literal concept the early anthropologist resurfaced again, almost there. "_Okay."_

A waitress came over to their table and they ordered their food. While they waited Angela reached into her bag and dug around until she found what she was looking for. Triumphantly she pulled out a sketch pad and pencil, flipped to a blank sheet and began to draw.

Brennan peered over her coffee and sipped at the hot liquid as she watched Angela draw. Her hand gliding over the paper in sure and confident strokes, she was always amazed at how absorbed Angela could get in a project and even more amazed at the product.

After a few minutes Angela's hand froze over the page and she leaned back, her eyes squinting at the page, inspecting the finished drawing. With a few more strokes and lines she seemed pleased with it, placed the pencil back on the ground and turned the pad around so Brennan could see.

"Alright, so this is your apartment now. I drew all the different rooms from different views and angles. I also labeled and indicated the colors and objects." She looked to Brennan for a sign that the drawing was accurate.

Brennan nodded her head and waited for Angela to continue talk.

"So I was thinking before we start or buy anything we plan what to get rid of, move and add. We also need to plan if we're going to do any painting, I now your apartment id painted in some nice colors but they are kind of neutral, non-expressive colors, like something you'd see in a museum or historical building. Any ideas?"

"For the living room I was thinking a nice warm red, maybe a little on the darker side, like maroon? Something to go well with the brick. Either that or a sea foam color, I've always loved the ocean."

"I think we should go with the sea foam. We could with a sea inspired color scheme for the front room. Blues, green, whites and creams. Make the entrance light and inviting. We could get blue covers for the arm chairs and a light green for the sofa. We could even get some sea shells, glass fishing floaters and white candles. Really lighten the place up."

Brennan was silent for a little bit, picturing the change, then smiled, remembering her families many trips to the ocean and her mother's love of dolphins and her growing fondness of them. "That sounds perfect Ange. I'm also planning to buy a big flat screen to put on the table underneath the window so we can arrange the furniture to face it."

Angela's eyes widened, a TV? Maybe she really has changed more than it appears. "Wow Bren, when did you decide to get a TV? I thought they were stupid, brain cell killing boxes?"

"I have realized that they are another way of gathering people together, movie nights, dates, sports games. And I really want people to be more comfortable and willing to come to my home. It gets lonely when no one wants to come over for anything other than food or drinks." Her eyes fell to her coffee in her hands, avoiding Angela's gaze.

"Oh sweetie, you should have told us. We love to come to your apartment. Not because of what it looks like or that you have a TV or not, even though they are important, we love to come over because we love you."

Brennan's eyes flew back up to Angela's face and a smile slowly started to creep back up her face. She wiped the moisture from her eyes and changed the subject, "So now that we have the living room color scheme planned, shall we start going through what to get rid of on my shelves so it doesn't look like a museum?"

Angela smiled and quickly jumped on board, knowing Brenna wanted to move on to another topic. "Well first off, is there anything that has sentimental value that you want to keep? The rest we can put in storage."

"Not really, most are from digs or other anthropologists and organizations. I was actually thinking of donating them to the Jeffersonian."

"That's a great idea sweetie. What do you want to replace them with?"

"Over the years I have noticed that I have no pictures of any of my friends, family and loved ones in my home. I want to get as many pictures up as I can. Especially on the wall to the right of the kitchen across from the dining room. I also want to get some plants and put some trinkets and gifts on the shelves that I've gotten from people I care about. Does that sound okay?"

"Perfect."

When their food arrived they put their planning and conversation on hold and each tucked in and enjoyed their respective breakfasts.

When they were full and the waitress had cleared away their plates Angela picked up her sketch pad and finished drawing and writing in the plans they had made so far.

"Can we plan the dining room next?" Brennan asked as she accepted the refill of coffee the waitress was offering her.

"Okay, for the dining room I was thinking we could use the dark red you suggested earlier. I know the walls are brick, and we should leave that natural so we could get covers for the chairs and a new rug to go under the table. To brighten the room up more and balance out the dark color scheme we could get a bright silver chandelier with crystals hanging from it to catch and reflect the sun light coming from the windows. Give it that vintage class. We could even get a new table, maybe mahogany and also vintage looking?"

Brennan's smile grew even wider, "Oh! I love that idea! I absolutely Love vintage stuff, it makes me feel like I'm in a Jane Austin novel."

"What better way to redecorate a famous, strong and independent female author's home than with a theme based on an equally strong and independent female authors works?" Angela grinned, she'd always loved that in both Jane and Temperance, and they were both great female role models.

"I get it! You say that because we're both strong and independent women. "Brennan grinned as well, happy that she was getting so good at understanding people.

Angela smiled back, equally proud of her friend at how far she'd come from when they'd first met. "Well I don't think the kitchen needs anything new, except for maybe a couple sky lights to add more light since you have few windows in the living part of your apartment."

"I've always wanted cherry red appliances in my kitchen, I have since I was a little girl. My mom had this big red glass mixing bowl that we used to make cookies with her and my dad and I always wanted to have my entire kitchen bright red like that bowl. After my parents disappeared and they were no longer there to bake tings with the bowl no longer stood for something happy. Now that I've reconnected with my dad and discovered the truth about my parent's disappearance; the memory of that bowl is happy again." For the second time that day moisture welled up in Brennan's eyes, when she looked at her friend she saw the same moisture in Angela's eyes as well. They both laughed and wiped their eyes.

"Shall we pay and go get started? Home depot isn't too far away from here; we could get the paints and start moving furniture and taking things off the walls and placing down ground cloths."

"Alright; there's a lot of wall space to cover and things to move, not to mention all the painting we'll need to do. We should get started as soon as possible since there are only two of us."

While Brennan approached the counter to pay the cashier Angela placed her sketch pad and pencil back in her bag and rejoined her friend at the entrance. As they pushed the doors opened and stepped out on to the side walk she turned to Brennan, "You know; we could always call Cam for back up. I'm sure she could use a girl's weekend and a break from parenting. We could break out the beer and spend the weekend bonding over redecorating your apartment."

"Yes, I've found that I have recently begun to count her as one of my close friends instead of just my boss. It would be nice to do something together just us girls so we can become closer friends with her."

Angela smiled; she is always a constant surprise. "I'll make the call." She got her phone out from her pocket and dialed.

On the third ring Cam picked up, "_Hello?"_

"Hey Cam, its Angela."

"_Angela? What are you doing calling on the weekend? There's not a case is there?"_

Angela laughed, "No. Bren and I are spending the weekend redecorating her apartment. It's going to be like a girl's weekend and we were wondering if you'd like to join us. There will be a lot of work but we promise it will be fun!"

"_Will there be beer and wine?"_

"Of course there will! Do you not know me at all?"

"_How soon can I join you?"_

Angela and Brennan grinned. This was going to be a fun weekend.

**AN: Hope you like it! And I hope someone notices that this is the longest chapter I've written! Over 2,000 words! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! :D**


	4. Chapter 3

**AN: Hi guys! Sorry I haven't posted, I've been pretty busy with it being the last few weeks of summer. I went camping with my family and our lovely friends from England, did service work in L.A for Native Americans, and ran around yesterday chasing my godmother's three year old son around and making sure he didn't get into trouble. I've also been reading Kathy Reich's Temperance Brennan books and started studying about anthropology and making plans on my future and college education to become a Forensic Anthropologist! So you can see why I haven't had much time to write, but be rest assured I haven't forgotten about it! Hope you enjoy and please review!**

Not long after Angela and Brennan had left the Diner two familiar faces that hadn't been to the diner in some time entered through the glass doors.

Parker ran past his dad and went straight for the stools at the counter, his mess of curly blonde hair covering his head just barely rose above the counter top by an inch or two. He had really grown in the seven month's his father had been away. Now that he was ten years old he was really starting to get growths bursts. It still amazed Booth just how fast the little guy was growing. It didn't feel that it was that long ago he had been a little baby or a toddler just discovering how to walk and talk. Now he was reading chapter books, riding a bike, doing science experiments, learning to play hockey and football and becoming aware that girls don't have coodies. Booth hoped that Parker would stay just as sweet and caring in the years to come as he is now.

Booth sat down on the stool next to the one Parker had climbed up onto. He flagged a waitress down and turned to Parker. "Pancakes?"

A huge grin spread across Parker's face. "Yeah!"

The waitress smiled "Two plates?"

Booth nodded. "And a cup of fresh coffee, please."

"I'll have a cup of Orange Juice!" Parker exclaimed.

"Park's! What do we say?" Booth scolded.

"Please?"

"Please what?"

"Please may I have a glass of orange juice?"

Booth and the waitress Debbie laughed at his earnest face. "Thank you Parker, I'll get you one right away." Debbie laughed again as she wrote the order down on her pad.

"Thanks Debbie, how are the kids?" Booth asked as he unrolled his napkin and utensils.

"They're doing fine Booth, thanks for asking. You always remember to ask. Your partner doesn't even bother to remember my name. I've taken your guy's order how many times over the years and ten minutes ago when she was in here she hardly acknowledged me when I took her and Angela's orders."

"Bones was here?'"

"Yeah, they were planning a girl's weekend of some kind, sounded like they were redecorating something. Probably Angela's home now that she and her husband are having a baby."

"Angela's having a baby?"

Debbie smirked at the look of surprise on his face, "Really Booth, were have you been all this time? Under a rock?"

Booth chuckled, "Kind of."

"Well I'm glad your back."

"Thanks, it's good to be back."

"I'll bring your order in five minutes."

"Thanks Debbie."

"Any time."

Not even five minutes later Debbie was placing two heaping piles of pancakes in front of the Booth boys.

_"Ah… Look at that, huh?"_

As they started to dig in Parker turned towards his father, a questioning look on his face. _"Dad?"_

_ "Yeah." _Booth asked between sips of coffee.

_"Did you kill anybody?"_

Booth nearly choked and spat out his coffee. _"Why are you asking me that?"_

Parker shrugged his shoulder,_ "My friends always want to know. What should I tell them?" _He looked up at his father, brown eyes wide and so full of youthful innocence.

Booth sighed; this was not a conversation he was ready to have with his son yet. One of his biggest fears about Parker growing up is what he'll think of him when he finds out about all the people he'd killed as a sniper and an FBI agent._ "You tell your friends that your dad does his duty the best that he knows how. Alright? Someday, me and you are going to talk all about it, alright?"_

_ "When?"_

_ "You know, when you're older; when you're a man."_

_ "Are you going away again?"_

Booth's heart crushed at the sound of vulnerability and worry in his son's voice. "_No. Never."_

_ "Because of me?"_

_ "Because of you. It's the best reason ever. Huh? Drink your orange juice; here we go; let's eat up. Mm?" _Booth reached over and poured some syrup on Parker's pancakes and they dug in. He couldn't help but notice the small smile on his son's face.

Three car doors slammed shut as Angela, Brennan and Cam exited Angela's Matrix.

"I can't believe we fit everything in your car. I thought for sure we'd have to make two trips or get a second car with all the paint, décor and furniture we bought." Cam said, giving the Matrix an appraising look.

"Yeah, it's a great car. It will have plenty of room for the baby and all his or her stuff. We could fit triplets comfortably in this thing." Angela said proudly, patting the roof of her car with her hand.

"Knowing you and Hodgins I wouldn't be surprised if you had three or more kids." Cam chuckled.

"You say that because they are both loving people who love kids and have enough money to support several children." Brennan concluded.

"Wow. Doctor Brennan, you really have changed a lot after Maluku." Cam commented, pleasantly surprised at Brennan's improvement of understanding.

"Yes, yes I have." She answered matter-of-factly.

Angela and Cam both grinned, no matter how much she'd changed, the straightforward and honest anthropologist was still inside her.

"Shall we haul this lot inside and get started? Its noon already and we still need to move everything away from or off of the walls, lay down ground cloths and put up painting tape." Angela said; glancing at the sun as it steadily rose higher into the sky.

"Let's get to work." Cam and Brennan agreed.

Angela opened the hatch back on her Matrix and started unloading; she started with the numerous cans of paint, handing them off to Brennan and Cam in turns as they carried them up to Brennan's apartment on the third floor. They put them on the living room floor just inside the door. Next they unloaded the picture frames and décor followed by the new furniture covers, soon Brennan's living room had accumulated a rather large pile on the floor in the middle of the room. Finally they went back out for the last trip, they retrieved the ground cloths, masking tape and paint brushes, closed the hatch back, locked and armed the car and returned to the apartment.

"Now while we're painting Jack will be storing the furniture and everything else at the manor. He, Wendell and Sweets should be here any minuet to help load it all into the truck and transport it there so how about we start packing things into boxes and taking things down off the walls?" Angela said after checking her phone to read the text message from her husband.

"I'll start with the book cases," Cam called over her shoulder as she left the living room to get the boxes from the kitchen.

"I'll start wrapping the various artifacts I've collected over the years and separate them into two piles; one for the artifacts I want to keep which will probably go to my office and the other to donate to the Jeffersonian." Brennan stated as she too headed for the kitchen.

"Then that leaves me lights, pillows, rugs and smaller furniture." Angela said aloud to the empty room.

The three women got to work on their respective jobs. The only sound in the apartment was the sound of things being taken off shelves, wrapped in bubble wrap or tissue paper, placed in a box, tape being pulled from their dispensers and placed on top of the lid and sharpies scribbling labels on the sides.

After a few more minutes of silence Angela put down the box she had just finished labeling and crossed the room to the stereo. She retrieved her iPhone from her pocket and plugged it in. A pre-made girl's weekend playlist streamed from the speakers, filling the room with notes, chords and Florence and the Machine. The lyrics wafted around the room and filled their heads.

_Happiness hit her like a train on a track_

_Coming towards her stuck still no turning back_

_She hid around corners and she hid under beds_

_She killed it with kisses and from it she fled_

_With every bubble she sank with her drink_

_And washed it away down the kitchen sink_

As they returned to their work Brennan couldn't help but compare the song to her life. She had had a rough childhood. Her life had started out happy and normal. She had had parents who were deep in love and loved their children with their whole hearts. She had had an older brother who'd looked out for her. She still would hear his voice calling "Marco!" to her and she'd whisper back to herself. "Polo." But that all had changed one Christmas when her parents disappeared in the middle of the night to never return. Her brother, then eighteen had tried to make the most of it and tried to provide a normal Christmas morning for her but she had yelled at him and shut him out and he too had left her. She had then spent the rest of her adolescence in the system. At several homes she had been abused, in more ways than one. She still remembered being locked in the trunk of a car for three days.

_Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father_

_Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers_

_Leave all your love and your longing behind_

_You can't carry it with you if you want to survive_

Life had gotten somewhat better after she'd turned eighteen and had left the system. College had been okay. She hadn't made any friends but had had her first romantic and sexual relationship with her professor. After college she'd enjoyed going on all the digs. She hadn't had a home in so long or people who cared about her so the constant moving and traveling hadn't bothered her. It got even better when she'd started at the Jeffersonian and began working with Hodgins and Zach. Especially when she met and became friends with Angela. Before Ange Brennan had never had a close friend, let alone a girlfriend; someone she could tell her secrets too, express her concerns and worries too, seek out for advice and comfort and have a great time with. It had been something she'd really missed out on in her adolescent years.

The dog days are over

The dog days are done

The horses are coming

So you better run

Then she'd met Booth. In the beginning on that first case they had been mutually attracted to each other. He'd even called her hot and they'd kissed outside the Founding Fathers and almost gone home together to have sex. But she'd changed her mind at the last minute and the next day they'd gotten in a horrible fight. She yelled at him that she'd hated him and would never work with him again and he hadn't stopped her when she'd left. Then she had gone away for a year to Guatemala and he had ended his gambling problems and tampered down his anger. She smiled as she remembered how mad she'd been at him when he got Social Security to hold her at the airport so he could be the white knight and rescue her just to get her to work with him again. They had argued and fought a lot in the first year of their partnership, he picking on her lack of social skills and pop culture knowledge, her making fun of and trashing his religion and love life.

_The dog days are over_

_The dog days are done_

_Can you hear the horses?_

_'Cause here they come_

But everything had changed between them when she had been the target of an unknown shooter. He had gone out of his way to protect her and keep her safe. He had stayed at her place, got blown up by the bomb in her fridge, broke out of the hospital when he'd heard she'd been taken, had shot the traitor FBI agent who'd taken her and rescued her from her bounds, holding her in his arms as she cried into his shoulder and he winced in pain from his injuries. She remembered how jealous he had been with David, the guy she had been trying to go out with from a dating site and how genuinely hurt he'd looked when he found out she'd let David read her new book's rough draft. So after he'd saved her she postponed her date and had stayed in the hospital with him watching old movies and eating pudding cups.

_And I never wanted anything from you_

_Except everything you had and what was left after that too, oh_

_Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back_

_Struck from a great height by someone who should know better than that_

After that they had become close friends. They had come to be each other's best friend and in turn had fallen in love with the other. Before Booth had come into her life Brennan had not believed in love. She thought that because of her past she was not capable of love, let alone a love as strong as the one she had for him. But over the six years of their partnership he had broken down her walls of defense, showed her love, and friendship and trust. She had always been afraid to let people close, afraid they would leave her like everyone else had. But Booth had proven time and time again that he wasn't going anywhere. That he would never leave or hurt her. And she had believed him with her whole metaphorical heart and soul. But now he had moved on. She was too late.

_The dog days are over_

_The dog days are done_

_Can you hear the horses?_

_'Cause here they come_

_Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father_

_Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers_

_Leave all your love and your longing behind_

_You can't carry it with you if you want to survive_

_The dog days are over_

_The dog days are done_

_Can you hear the horses?_

_'Cause here they come_

_The dog days are over_

_The dog days are done_

_The horses are coming_

_So you better run _

The knock on the front door pulled Brennan back to the surface from her thoughts. She took a deep breath and finished packing the box she had been working on.

"Come in!" Angela called, knowing it was the guys arriving to load everything up and take it away.

The door opened and Hodgins's face was the first to appear through the doorway. "Hello ladies," he greeted taking his wife in his arms for a quick kiss before giving hugs to Cam and Brennan.

Brennan returned the hug tightly, "Thanks Hodgins for agreeing to do this." She whispered.

"Anytime Dr. B" he whispered back, giving her body a quick squeeze before he let her go. Angela had told him her suspicions about the real reason for the girl's weekend and home makeover. He liked Booth, they had even become good friends, but he hated seeing Brennan upset. After their joint kidnapping he and Brennan had formed a strong bond of friendship and trust.

Sweets were the next face to appear. She and Booth had both despised the young psychologist in the beginning when they had been forced to take partner counseling, but after all these years and all their experiences together she had come to respect him and his professional opinion. She had even come to call him a friend. After finding out about their similar childhood experiences; both being in the foster care system and victims of abuse she had found a connection with him.

"Hi guys," Sweets said, looking slightly out of place in jeans and a t-shirt. After also giving the three women hugs he looked around the apartment. "Wow Dr. Brennan, you have a really nice place. I'm glad I got to see it like this before you redecorate it.'

Brennan felt a pang of guilt, regretting that she had never welcomed Sweets over to her home other than Christmas dinner that one time. '_But no more,' _She thought to herself. '_After this weekend I'm going to have them all over a lot more often. Dinner, board games, drinks, sports games, movies, holidays, the works.' _She smiled at the thought.

The last face to come through the door was Wendell, her favorite intern. He still amazed her after these past few years. After what had happened to Zach she had shut out all of her interns, afraid to let them in to close. But Wendell had somehow wormed his way into the group and her heart. She was thankful and glad at how well he fit in. They needed it after losing Zach, especially Hodgins. But Hodgins wasn't the only one. She had needed someone who was in the same field, could understand and think like her but was still social and understood things she didn't like pop culture, sports and social manners. He was always happy to 'translate' for her or answer her honest but sometimes awkward questions. He too was someone she was sorry for not letting in to her social life and group activities outside of work and drinks at the Founding Fathers.

"Hi Wendell," She said as she approached him to give him a hug.

His eyes widened in surprise at hearing her call him by his first name and her giving him a hug but he hugged her back, realizing that she really had changed in Maluku and that she must need her friends now more than ever. Booth had shown him the picture of Hannah and Wendell had known from the beginning how Dr. Brennan felt about Booth so he realized how much it must hurt her to have him distant and constantly thinking and talking about another woman. He sincerely hoped that If Hannah ever did come to DC that Booth wouldn't leave Brennan as a friend by accident by spending all his time with the women.

"Hi Dr. Brennan," he said when she released him.

"Call me Temperance when we're not at work,"

Wendell and Temperance smiled.

"Alright, now that we've all said hello, let's get this show on the road! You girl's aren't the only ones who have plans this weekend!" Hodgins laughed as they all finished hugging one another.

"You heard the man, let's get to work people so the boys can go have fun and we can get some painting done before we go out tonight." Cam commanded in her boss voice, her smile lightening the tone.

The others laughed and they all got to work, carting the boxes and furniture from the apartment out to the moving van Hodgins had rented. When they finished loading everything in the group of friends exchanged hugs again and waved goodbye as the guys drove away.

"Let's get painting; I don't want it to get to late before we leave for the Founding Fathers." Cam said as they turned to walk back to the apartment.

Angela and Brennan laughed. The three of them quickly got to work setting everything up. They sang while they painted and got a lot done. By the time it was dark and time to go to the bar they had almost finished painting the living room and front hall.

Brennan smiled as she looked back at her place before closing her front door behind them as they left for the Founding Father to start off their first night of the weekend. They had done a great job. She couldn't wait to see how it looked when they were all done. As they walked to Angela's car she was already planning a home welcoming party for Sunday night with the group. Booth never even crossed her mind.


	5. Chapter 4

**AN: I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated. It always annoys me when I'm reading a great FF and then the author drops off the earth for weeks. I've been extremely busy with school now that I'm a junior. And it's not going to get any better but I will try my best to update more. I promise. Now where were we?**

Laughter poured into the already noisy bar as the door to the Founding Fathers opened. Angela, Brennan and Cam waded through the crowded bar to their usual table in the back where it wasn't exactly quiet but was a few decimals lower than the rest of the room. They removed their coats and purses and sat in their respective seats.

"What shall we start off the night with ladies?" Angela asked as she skimmed over the menu for specials.

"All I know is that it won't be some frilly fruity thing for me tonight!" Cam laughed, "We've worked hard today on Temperance's apartment and the past few cases and deserve a real drink."

Angela and Brennan grinned and nodded in agreement.

"I don't know Cam. The margaritas sound very tempting." Angela said, turning the menu for the others to see. Over a picture of the Margaritas the names; Smokey Grilled Grapefruit, Honeydew Rita, Pomegranate, Prickly Pear, Watermelon, Blackberry Mint, Blackberry-Thyme, Li Hing, and Hibiscus Flower Margarita stood out in bright bold letters.

"Mmm…" Cam's eyes flickered across the page, taking in the pictures of the drinks. "I think I'm going to try the Prickly Pear. It looks to die for."

"Ooo! That was my second choice! But I think I'm going to go with the Pomegranate. What are you getting Bren?" Angela looked up at her friend as she put her menu aside.

"I'm going to try the Hazel Kahlua. Mom used to make it to send to her friends. We always knew when she was making it because the kitchen would be full of the smell of nail polish remover from the Ever Clear." A faint smile spread across her face as she remembered her mother explaining that the smell meant the alcohol was extremely strong and then her dad teaching her about proofs.

"Kahlua? That's really strong sweetie. Are you sure you can handle it?"

Brennan laughed. "Of course Ange. I was raised on this stuff. After I turned twenty-one I started drinking it in remembrance of my mother. Besides, before my parents disappeared my mom would give me a sip of her White Russians, without the Vodka of course."

"Of course, because giving an adolescent youth Kahlua isn't bad enough." Cam mumbled as she rolled her eyes.

Angela snorted at her comment.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" Brennan asked looking completely lost.

"No sweetie. It's fine."

"Okay…" Brennan did look quite convinced as she side glanced at Cam who still looked amused. Angela quickly jabbed Cam in the leg with her foot.

"Oh!" Cam shot Angela a dirty look. To cover up Angela's kick she quickly stood up, "I'm going to go order our drinks." and quickly fled the table. Angela shook her head with a smirk.

"I don't think I'll ever understand you guys." Brennan complained, still looking somewhat confused.

"Don't worry sweetie, we'll fix that soon, along with other things." Angela winked. She laughed as Brennan's confused frown deepened.

**AN: I know this is short. I'm writing this before mom gets home. I'm not supposed to work on this till I get my WoHeLo done this spring but I'm determined not to listen and write more for you guys. And in case you were wondering, the bit about the Kahlua is from me and my mom. :) **


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